


And So It Came To Be

by fembuck



Series: She Keeps Me Warm [1]
Category: Spartacus Series (TV), Spartacus: War of the Damned
Genre: Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Canon Relationship, F/F, Femslash, First Time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-05
Updated: 2013-05-05
Packaged: 2017-12-10 12:40:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/786156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fembuck/pseuds/fembuck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story follows the progression of Saxa and Belesa’s relationship from its beginning on Melia ridge as it develops during their travels south, back into the jaws of Rome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And So It Came To Be

Belesa sat hunched over, her head hanging down as her eyelashes fluttered, struggling to remain open.  She was cold, and tired, so very tired.  Enslaved as a child, she had lived the majority of her life serving and toiling, yet she had never been as bone tired as she was presently.  The freezing winds and blinding snow of the night before had robbed a thousand people of life and left many of those who yet lived half-frozen and on the cusp of death, Belesa among them. 

She knew that she should move.  She knew that she needed to get warm.  She needed to stand and walk to get her blood circulating.  She needed to search and see if she could find a fire that yet burned. That was what she should do, what she needed to do, but she found herself unable to do anything but sit.  She wanted to move, but she couldn’t.  She was frozen in place.  It took all of her concentration just to keep her eyes open and her chest rising and falling with breath. 

She was just so cold. 

A frigid hand touched her cheek and Belesa’s head lifted, her eyes fluttering as she tried to focus on the person crouching in front of her, tenderly stroking her frozen cheek.

“You live,” an accented voice breathed out.

It took the Thracian’s sluggish, half-frozen brain a moment to place the voice, but when she realized that it was Saxa crouching before her, Belesa’s heart gave a strong, eager pulse for the first time in what seemed like hours.

“Do I?” she asked, releasing a sardonic breath of air as she blinked, finally beginning to make the fuzzy image before her come into focus. 

“You keep humor,” Saxa breathed, smiling at Belesa gently.  “Das ist gut.  Not so close to death after all.”

Saxa stroked Belesa’s cheek again, and Belesa’s lips helplessly curved up.

The sight of Saxa’s face warmed Belesa’s heart, though she knew her reaction was silly.  To Saxa she was just another runaway slave, pretty enough to take note of from time to time, but more or less useless.  She was a good cook and seamstress, but she had no skill with swords or any other weapon.  She _was_ a fighter, she would not have survived to the age she had if she wasn’t, but she was not a warrior.  She was no god of blood and sand like Gannicus, whom Saxa’s eyes fell upon adoringly.  She regarded Saxa with awe, but she knew that her feelings were not returned by the German in any meaningful way.  Belesa was aware that it was foolish of her to continue pining for Saxa, but she could not help the way her heart quickened whenever Saxa was near.

“I would keep you that way,” Saxa continued, drawing Belesa out of her bittersweet thoughts. 

After speaking, Saxa rose to her feet and stepped around Belesa.  When she was behind the brunette she draped the fur cloak that had been in her hands over Belesa’s shoulders and fixed it carefully around the shivering Thracian, making sure it covered as much of her as possible.

Belesa’s eyes closed as the fur enveloped her, bringing glorious, life-preserving warmth.  She clutched at the material desperately, pulling tighter around her, and when she lifted her head to meet Saxa’s eyes again, her own were shimmering with unshed tears.

“Gratitude,” she whispered, blinking against the moisture gathering in her eyes as she looked up at Saxa.

“Sie sind willkommen,” _you’re welcome_ , Saxa replied in German, her brows furrowing slightly as she regarded Belesa, realizing that the woman would have no idea what she had said.  “I am glad help,” she added a bit ruefully a moment later, hoping that those words would make her meaning clear.

“Why?” Belesa asked before she could think better of it.

As soon as the words were past her lips, Belesa regretted speaking them, fearing that the question would sound impertinent, or worse, ungrateful to Saxa, who had just done her a great kindness.  However, Belesa knew that once words had taken flight there was no recalling them, so she simply waited anxiously for Saxa’s reply.

“Why what?” Saxa asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.

“Why help me?” Belesa asked, looking down uncomfortably before she turned her head to the side to observe the freezing masses of people around her.  “There are so many,” she whispered, dragging her eyes away from them to look at Saxa once more.  “I am nothing …”

“You are something,” Saxa interjected before Belesa could say more.  “ _All_ are something.”

“But to you …” Belesa began.

“To me you are something,” Saxa replied, her voice firm as she held Belesa’s gaze intently. 

She hadn’t seen much of Belesa since they had met at the gate to Sinuessa en Valle, but she had not forgotten the woman.  On the rare occasion that their paths had crossed in Sinuessa, Belesa had always had a smile for her, and often an amusing word or two.  When they parted ways after exchanges words, a smile had always lingered on Saxa’s lips, and her eyes had always followed Belesa for as long as they could. 

She and Belesa might not have known each other well, but even with their brief interactions Belesa had always managed to warm Saxa’s heart and make her smile, just as she was doing presently. 

Saxa had spent her morning in a fog; her mind choked by the vast loss of life the storm had wrought, her body numbed by the cold and her heart anesthetized from Gannicus’s hurtful actions the night before.  She had worked with friends, stripping the dead of the furs they no longer needed, scavenging weapons or any other useful items from them, all the while feeling barely more alive than the frozen corpses surrounding her.  Then she had spotted Belesa among the shivering masses, and despite the weather, and the realities of their situation, and her fractured heart, a pulse of warmth had traveled through Saxa and the fog that had settled over her had begun to clear. 

She and Belesa might not have known each other well, but Saxa was glad that Belesa was still alive.  She was grateful to the woman for her smile and the way it brought Saxa’s deadened feelings back to life.  Belesa was something to her, and Saxa was determined to do what she could to keep her among the living. 

“I come back later,” Saxa said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them in the wake of her declaration.  “If anyone give bother, tell me when return and I make sure it happen no more.  Good?”

“Yes,” Belesa agreed softly, blinking more rapidly than normal as she stared up at Saxa reverentially, not understanding the tenderness and care that the blonde was showing to her, but grateful and appreciative of it nonetheless. 

“This is near done,” Saxa said, reaching out to touch Belesa’s cheek once more.  “We soon return to heat and sun of south,” she continued as she rose to her feet.  “Be strong for small time longer.”

Belesa smiled, feeling stronger and more hopeful than she had since the rebels had fled to the Melia ridge.

“Death can fuck himself,” she replied, holding Saxa’s eyes.  “He will not find me willing victim.  I will cling to life as stubbornly as I always have.”

Saxa grinned in response to Belesa’s words, and then her gaze gentled and she said, “I find you again,” her voice grave with promise.

“I look forward to your return,” Belesa murmured.

Saxa inclined her head, acknowledging Belesa’s words, and then she turned and began to walk away.  As she headed towards Spartacus’s tent however, she found herself turning her head every few steps to look back at Belesa, her eyes lingering on the woman as they always did, not quite willing to give up the exquisite sight of her until she absolutely had to.    

xxx

As Belesa walked through the southern woods, legs moving mechanically, left then right, left then right, in the haze that would often come over the rebels as they walked hour after hour to their newest destination, she felt fingers gently ghost down her back and her lips automatically curved up in a smile, knowing who had touched her before looking.

“Hello,” she breathed, angling her head to the side to meet Saxa’s eyes.

“Guten Tag,” Saxa replied, smiling widely.

Belesa rolled her eyes at her.

“I do not know what it means, but ‘guten tag’ to you as well,” she murmured, earning a small laugh from Saxa.

“How is day?” Saxa asked, falling into a comfortable pace beside Belesa.

“Gloriously warm,” Belesa sighed happily, tilting her head up towards the sky and spreading her arms wide, soaking up the heat of the midday sun.  “I had not been able to make informed decision in past, but I can now state with absolute certainty that I hold no love for cold or snow,” she continued, her expression turning adorably grumpy as she recalled their time on Melia ridge. 

“Though myself do not mind cold, I state absolutely to like warm clothes more,” Saxa replied, reaching out to run her fingers gently down Belesa’s bare arm. 

Belesa’s eyes fluttered as Saxa’s fingers brushed against her, and her lips helplessly curved up in a smile.

“You made magnificent sight in cloak of fur,” Belesa began softly, looking down at the ground though the smile on her lips lingered, Saxa’s mere proximity compelling it to stay in place.  “Appearing as untamed goddess from old, ethereal forests,” she continued, shaking her head and smiling when Saxa nodded along to her words seriously, agreeing completely with her assessment.  “However, when I cast my eyes upon you now,” Belesa paused to scan the length of Saxa’s body, “I cannot say that I miss the fur.”

“So, sight pleases?” Saxa asked, striking a pose for Belesa which made the Thracian laugh again.

“As always,” Belesa murmured, dipping her head down as she grinned.  “How does your day pass?” she asked, hoping to move the conversation away from the distracting subject of Saxa’s body before she made her interest in the blonde too obvious. 

Flirting was one thing, desperation was another, and she did not wish to cross that line.  Saxa had been attentive and kind to her during the days following their meeting on Melia ridge, and her words and looks often held interest.  But, Saxa’s words and looks had held interest in the past when she was with Gannicus and nothing had come of it, so Belesa tried to guard herself from presently lifting her hopes too high.  The fact that Gannicus no longer shared Saxa’s bed presented opportunity to Belesa, but it did not necessarily mean that Saxa would make offer to Belesa to take his place.

“Much walking, very boring,” Saxa replied, making a face before she grinned over at Belesa playfully, drawing a smile to the Thracian’s lips.  “Helped fix wagon wheel,” Saxa continued a moment later, “Many thrills,” she added, which drew a laugh from Belesa.  “Killed rabbit,” Saxa stated, and then under Belesa watchful eyes, she clenched her fist in victory and Belesa giggled even more. 

As she laughed, Belesa’s body swayed into Saxa’s.  Saxa smiled at the gentle contact, and for a few moments they walked in silence, joined together, shoulder to shoulder. 

“You like rabbit?” Saxa inquired, turning to look at Belesa curiously.

“I do,” Belesa murmured, meeting Saxa’s gaze shyly, her heart beginning to beat faster though she tried to squash the hopeful excitement that was rising inside of her.

“I bring some later for you and Greek girls,” Saxa declared, nodding decisively, before she shifted her gaze forward.  “Where are noisy ones?” she inquired, looking around, as if suddenly realizing that Belesa’s shadows were not present.

Belesa and her friends had gotten separated during the storm, and in the days that followed their reunion, Saxa had been hard-pressed to share words with Belesa without the two women giggling off to the side as they watched Saxa and Belesa interact.

“Up ahead,” Belesa said, making a motion forward with her head. “Flirting with some muscular Gauls.”

“You not flirt?” Saxa asked curiously, watching Belesa out of the corner of her eye.

“Not with muscular Gauls,” Belesa murmured, and Saxa’s lips curved up.

“Who with then?” Saxa asked.

Belesa turned to look at Saxa intently for a few seconds, and then she glanced away and shrugged. 

“No words?  Perhaps you not flirt because you are taken?” Saxa probed when Belesa dropped her head down to watch her feet as she walked.

She did not think this was so.  Even when she was with Gannicus back in Sinuessa, her eyes had often followed Belesa when she spotted the woman in the distance, and there did not seem to be any that Belesa paid special favour to.  And since their meeting on Melia ridge, Saxa had been paying close attention to Belesa, and even under closer observation she had not been able to detect a suitor.  Still, after recent events, she was determined to make sure Belesa was not spoken for before she pursued her any further, not wanting to hurt one of her fellow rebels as she had been hurt by Gannicus on the ridge.

“I am not,” Belesa breathed out, cutting her eyes over towards Saxa for a second.  “Since fleeing from bondage, no one claims me, but me.”

Saxa nodded, and they walked in silence for a minute as she considered Belesa’s words.

“You share tent with Greek girls,” Saxa began, her voice a practiced study in nonchalance. 

“Antheia and Nadeae,” Belesa replied, her heart-rate picking up, as she looked over at Saxa.

“I would not have it so tonight,” Saxa stated, holding Belesa’s gaze intently.

“You would have me sleep in the open, vulnerable to man and the elements alike?” Belesa asked, arching a dark eyebrow at Saxa, even as her heart began to pound.

“No,” Saxa breathed out.  “I would have you sleep in my tent, vulnerable only to me,” she purred, her eyes raking over Belesa’s body appreciatively, the hungry look in her eyes making it very clear what Saxa would like to do with her if Belesa accepted the offer to come to her tent that night.

Belesa shivered, and bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling.

“Is my virtue safe with you?” she asked, glancing over at Saxa coquettishly.

“No, I cannot say is,” Saxa drawled wickedly, and at that Belesa did smile.

“Then I will see you tonight,” Belesa breathed out.

They walked in silence for a few seconds after Belesa spoke, and then Saxa leaned over and pressed her lips to Belesa’s cheek. 

Belesa gasped, surprised by the sweet, impetuous kiss, and then she released an airy, delighted laugh as her cheeks flushed in pleasure. 

“I must go,” Saxa murmured a moment later, when Belesa turned to look at her, a small smile still playing at the corners of her lips.  “Agron,” Saxa continued, nodding her head to the left, and when Belesa followed the motion with her eyes, she saw Agron waving at Saxa, his motions becoming increasingly irritable as Saxa continued to leisurely stroll at Belesa’s side.

“He grows impatient,” Belesa observed, focusing on Saxa once more.

“Born impatient,” Saxa said without concern.  “As most men,” she added, and Belesa smiled.  “I see later,” Saxa stated, though there was a note of question in her voice as she looked at Belesa.

Belesa nodded her head.  “I look forward to it,” she murmured, and Saxa bestowed one last winsome smile upon her before she turned away and headed towards Agron, yelling something no doubt offense at him in German as he crossed his arms peevishly and glared at her.

xxx

When they stopped for the night to make camp, Saxa was true to her word and came by the tent Belesa shared with the Greeks, Antheia and Nadeae, to deliver a portion of the rabbit she had killed that morning.  The majority of the catch had gone into the stew for general consumption, but she had been allowed to keep a small portion of it for herself, which became the portion she brought to Belesa.

Upon delivery, Belesa had invited Saxa to stay for a while, offering to cook the portion of rabbit for her, and Saxa happily accepted, for she was never one to say ‘no’ to any of three f’s: food, fucking and fighting. 

While Belesa cooked, Nadeae kept Saxa occupied having the blonde teach her German curse words.  It was a request Saxa threw herself into wholeheartedly, and the time between delivery of the meat and the preparing and cooking of it passed quickly and with much laughter.

After the food was cooked, the four women sat and ate, and Saxa spiritedly told the story of the legendary rebel victory at Mount Vesuvius as she frequently filled their cups from the jug of wine she had brought to the tent along with the rabbit.

Later that evening, when Antheia and Nadeae collapsed against each other, their eyes closed and their breathing deep, Saxa turned to Belesa and murmured, “Come to tent.  I tend you now,” and Belesa smiled before whispering, “Lead, and I shall follow.”

The walk to Saxa’s tent passed quietly, but as they moved through the night, Saxa reached out to take Belesa’s hand into hers, and Belesa’s heart warmed at the unexpected but entirely welcome touch.

When they made it to Saxa’s tent and the flaps closed behind them, Belesa was on Saxa immediately, lips eagerly pressing against Saxa’s as her hands moved to Saxa’s shoulders, anxiously tugging at the straps of her top, bursting to pull them down and remove the garment.

Belesa’s aggressive enthusiasm surprised Saxa, and she released a small delighted laugh as her hands moved to Belesa’s waist, clutching at her in an attempt to stay on her feet as Belesa pressed her back, further into the tent, towards the bed of furs.

When Saxa recovered from her surprise, her hands came into play, equally anxious to rid Belesa of her dress as Belesa was to rid her of her clothes, and laughing against each other’s mouths between kisses, their hands duelled, seeking to be the first to reveal the other’s naked body.

Finally nude, they fell to Saxa’s bed of furs together and Belesa settled herself over Saxa, straddling her waist.  Saxa arched a golden eyebrow up at her, and Belesa smiled down at her before running her hands over Saxa’s toned stomach to her breasts, which she took into her hands and squeezed possessively.

Saxa laughed, her lips spread in a wide grin as she gazed up at Belesa, and then her eyes were slipping closed and she was moaning as Belesa took hold of her pink nipples and squeezed them firmly before giving the stiff peaks a pleasurable little tug.

When Saxa’s eyes pale eyes fluttered open again they burned with desire, and Belesa stopped touching the blonde for a moment, captivated and deeply aroused by the predatory fire blazing in Saxa’s eyes.

Holding Belesa’s gaze, Saxa reached out and settled her hands on Belesa’s hips. 

Belesa bit down on her bottom lip as Saxa’s fingers dug into her soft flesh, and Saxa smiled wickedly before she used the hold she had on Belesa to flip them over so that she was lording over Belesa.

Saxa immediately stuck her face between Belesa’s breasts, nuzzling the generous mounds enthusiastically and Belesa laughed as she lifted her right hand to run her fingers through Saxa’s hair. 

After a few playful moments, Saxa became serious again and kissed her way over to one of Belesa’s dark nipples which she took into her mouth and began to suckle, drawing a long, deep moan from Belesa.

Saxa was obviously fond of breasts, and was happy to stay at Belesa’s for some time, alternating between Belesa’s stiff nipples and between licking, and sucking, and biting at the turgid peaks as Belesa’s fingers tangled in her hair, and sighs of pleasure escaped from her parted lips.

When Saxa’s attentions had worked Belesa into enough of a state that she could not go on without something inside of her, Belesa searched for Saxa’s hand, and when she found it, she drew it between her legs and urgently pressed Saxa’s hand against her aching cunt.

Saxa let Belesa’s nipple slip from between her lips and looked up.

“You command?” Saxa husked.  

Her voice was low and rough and dangerous and Belesa’s cunt throbbed at the sound of it.

“Yes,” Belesa breathed, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she brought her other hand up to cup Saxa’s face, her thumb running roughly over Saxa’s bottom lip.  “Fuck me now,” she stated firmly, her eyes locked on Saxa’s as she spoke.

Saxa’s lips parted and she took Belesa’s thumb into her mouth.  She bit down on it lightly, which made Belesa’s lips curl up as she breathed in sharply.  Then Saxa sucked on the finger in her mouth and Belesa sighed softly before she bucked her hips into Saxa’s hand.

“Please,” Belesa finally whispered, her eyes pleading with Saxa to take care of her.

Upon hearing the word that fell from Belesa’s lips and seeing the desperate look in her eyes, Saxa released a deep, rumbling sound that closely resembled a growl, and still holding Belesa’s eyes steadily, she entered the brunette with two fingers, Belesa’s state of arousal immediately allowing her to go knuckle deep.

“Is this what want?” Saxa asked softly, her eyes scanning Belesa’s face as she started to pump her fingers.

“Yes,” Belesa sighed, gazing up at Saxa adoringly as her hips rocked gently in Saxa’s hand.

“Then I give more,” Saxa purred, slipping another finger inside of Belesa before she leaned down to kiss the woman again, quickening the pace of her thrusts and increasing the force of them as they kissed.

Belesa’s hands roamed as Saxa fucked her, running down her back, over her hips, clutching at Saxa’s bare ass and thighs as Saxa kissed and nipped and licked her skin.  Belesa’s legs parted even more, inviting Saxa to fuck deeper and harder, and Saxa rose to the challenge, making Belesa cry out again and again in pleasure.

When Belesa finally reached her breaking point and came, her juices dripping down Saxa’s wrist, she clutched at Saxa’s desperately, Saxa’s name falling from her lips again and again as tears leaked from her eyes and her hips strained into Saxa’s hand, seeking every second of pleasure she could wring from the fingers inside of her.

After a minute her body relaxed back into the furs beneath her and her eyes fluttered open to find Saxa staring down at her.

“You okay?” Saxa asked softly, using the thumb of the hand that hadn’t been between Belesa’s legs to gently wipe away a trail of tears on Belesa’s cheek.

“Yes,” Belesa breathed out, blushing, even as she leaned into the warmth of Saxa’s hand.  “Apologies,” she continued softly, her eyes skittering away from Saxa’s in embarrassment.  “I…” she hesitated, uncertain how to explain what she was feeling without bringing the conversation to an intimate level she was not sure Saxa was interested in attainting.  “Thank you,” she settled on, smiling at Saxa before lifting her head to press their lips together.  “That was wonderful.”

“Always is in bed with me,” Saxa replied arrogantly, a cocky smile playing on her lips though her fingers continued to gently clear Belesa’s cheek of tears.  “Why you cry?” she inquired softly a few moments later, when Belesa’s cheeks were dry once again.

“You would have me speak when there are far more pleasurable ways I could be employing my mouth?” Belesa asked, running her fingers up Saxa’s thigh.

“I would,” Saxa said, making no motion to curb Belesa’s hands though her eyes stayed focused on Belesa’s face.  “You do not have speak, but can,” Saxa continued, brushing her thumb across Belesa’s cheek tenderly, affectionately.  “I want listen.”

Belesa’s eyelashes fluttered as Saxa’s gentle words reached her ears, and she found herself blinking rapidly, trying to hold back the tears that started to build in her eyes again.

“I have never had someone I like as much as you,” Belesa whispered, her eyes stinging though she managed to keep her tears at bay.  “Who touched my body, and what they did with it, was not always my choice.  And even when it was, we hid in dark corners, forced to stay quiet, not daring to completely disrobe, ready for flight even as pleasure mounted.  Always afraid of discovery, and the punishment that would follow,” Belesa continued, angling her head away from Saxa’s tender gaze, though she did not resist Saxa’s touch when the blonde reached out to direct Belesa’s eyes back to her.  “Having someone, it has never before felt so good,” she breathed, “I …” she paused, overcome and at a loss for words, and seeing the helpless look in her eyes, Saxa leaned down and brought their lips together in slow, gentle kiss.

“I am sorry,” Saxa whispered when the kiss ended.

She had suffered her own abuse at the hands of the slavers the Dacian’s had sold her and the others from her village to.  But before those months traveling to Latium, she had been free.  She had grown up in a loving home, under the guidance and watchful eye of caring parents and older siblings.  She had experienced sex for the first time in the arms of a boy she had chosen, and learned more about it in beds of men and women she had decided upon. 

She hated the Romans for what they had done to her in the relatively brief period of time she had been enslaved, but hearing the stories of those who had been trapped in the sadistic system for all or most of their lives made her hatred burn hot enough to rival the sun, and fed her desire to see all Roman scum to the edge of a blade.

“It is not your doing,” Belesa murmured, reaching up to touch Saxa’s cheek, more touched by the concern the fearsome warrior was showing her than she could express in words.  “You have brought me nothing but joy and pleasure, your hands and mouth working as tonic to heal ancient wounds, stirring body and reviving spirit.”

“I would be medica again,” Saxa breathed, running her hand up Belesa’s torso.

“Health has been restored,” Belesa whispered as she captured Saxa’s wandering hand with her own.  “I would now explore,” she continued softly, as her fingers began to trail over Saxa’s tanned skin.  “Able to fuck freely and loudly as heart desires,” she whispered, smiling up at Saxa.  “Afraid of nothing … but leaving you too tender for morning practice,” she purred, her eyes twinkling as she cupped Saxa’s cunt and squeezed.

Saxa’s eyes closed in pleasure at the touch, a low, rough groan of desire freeing itself from her throat. 

“Bold words,” Saxa husked, the arousal that had cooled during their talk flaring back to life at the feel of Belesa’s hand on her.  “But body is made for battle,” she continued.  “You need be _very_ vigorous to conquer such savage cunt.”

“Your words sound as challenge,” Belesa observed, unable to stop smiling as she gazed up at Saxa.  “I will meet it,” she declared.

“Words, words,” Saxa sighed despairingly, tilting her head up to the ceiling woefully, before she looked back down at Belesa and smiled.  “I would have action.”

Belesa bared her teeth at Saxa and released a small growling sound which made Saxa laugh.  Belesa then took hold of Saxa’s ass with both of her hands and flipped them over, intent on replacing Saxa’s grins with groans.

xxx

In the days that followed their first night together, Saxa and Belesa fell into a comfortable pattern.  Their mornings were spent apart, but around midday Saxa would appear at Belesa’s side, and they would drift away from whoever Belesa was walking with to spend some time alone together. 

They would walk for a while, talking, sometimes holding hands and exchanging kisses, and then Saxa would take her leave to perform whatever tasks needed to be performed. 

When the time came for the rebels to take their evening meal, Saxa would find her way to the group that Belesa had prepared the meal for, and they would sit together as they ate, sharing touches and smiles as they broke words about their day.

After the food was gone, two or three Germans usually came to collect Saxa, raining curses upon her until she agreed to leave with them to drink, and wrestle, and basically get up to no good – which seemed to be the primary pastime of those who hailed from east of the Rhine.

Sometimes Belesa joined Saxa during these competitions.  She would stand at the edge of whatever makeshift ring the Germans had fashioned and she would cheer loudly for Saxa and hurl abuse at her opponents, using the German curses that Saxa was teaching her.  Other nights, Belesa stayed where she was around the fire, preferring the calm and the company of females to the loud, boisterous energy of the Germans.

On the first night after they had lain together, Saxa had taken hold of Belesa when the wrestling was over, and kissed her, and tickled her and groped at her as she led the Thracian back to her tent. 

On the second night after they had first lain together, Belesa had again accompanied Saxa when the Germans came for her, but when she had finished a fifth mug of wine and they continued to try and ply her with more, she knew that she would not be able to keep up with them, and with friendly smiles and waves she had drifted back to her friends around the fire. 

When the time came for sleep that night, Belesa’s eyes drifted in the direction of Saxa’s tent longingly, but she retired to her usual sleeping place with Nadeae and Antheia, uncertain as to whether the invitation she had received to Saxa’s tent was an open one. 

She had only passed two nights in Saxa’s bed, but even so Belesa slept poorly that night, feeling almost as cold and empty has she had on Melia ridge without Saxa’s warm body behind her and her protective arms around her.

The night after that, the rebels found their way to a Roman villa, and once it was cleared of its offensive Roman presence, they had caroused, drinking the wine they had looted, singing loudly (and often badly).  They had laughed and paraded around in fine Roman clothes before tearing them to shreds.  They kissed and touched in the open and in the shadows, and they bathed in pools like the ones they had once been forced to serve in. 

When the hour grew late, and people began to turn to sleep, Saxa was off bothering Lugo, so Belesa once again went with Antheia and Nadeae to pass the night.  She had spent the evening with Saxa, sharing kisses and laughter, and she had looked forward to spending the night in bed with Saxa where she could kiss more intimate areas of the German’s body, but the words she had heard Saxa exchange with Gannicus as she bathed in the pool had left her feeling vulnerable, uncertain where she stood with Saxa. 

Later that night however, as Belesa lay awake, unable to find sleep as her mind churned with thoughts of Saxa, the blonde had found Belesa in one of the rooms adjacent to the kitchen where she and her friends had settled down for the night.  When Belesa had opened her eyes and looked at her, Saxa had extended her hand in invitation and Belesa had accepted it with a smile, happy that Saxa had come for her, happy that she was who Saxa had chosen to spend the night with after all.

They continued in this way for some time after that, Saxa leading Belesa to bed on the nights Belesa went carousing with her, and then showing up at Belesa’s tent, stepping over Nadeae and Antheia in the dark to fetch Belesa on the nights when the brunette stayed around the peace of the fire.  Then, one night, as they lay together, Belesa’s head resting on Saxa’s chest above her heart while Saxa idly ran her fingers up and down Belesa’s back, Saxa breathed out, “Why you always go with Greek girls on nights you not come with me from matches?”

“We have been through much together,” Belesa began slowly, thoughtfully, surprised by Saxa’s question.  “While slumbering beneath the midnight sky we are at our most vulnerable.  I would spend such tender hours in the company of trusted friends.”

“But you not sleep,” Saxa replied, staring up at the roof of the tent.

She always found Belesa awake when she went looking for her.  She might have thought that she woke Belesa from slumber when she accidently stepped on one of the Greek girls, but Belesa’s eyes were always alert and her voice clear and silky, not confused and rough with sleep.

“Sometimes,” Belesa breathed out, though she knew it wasn’t true. 

She was always awake, waiting, hoping that Saxa would come for her, praying that Gannicus had not found his way back to the blonde’s bed – displacing her from it forever.

“Never are,” Saxa stated with certainty.

“You would prefer to rouse me from slumber?” Belesa asked, shifting in Saxa’s arms slightly so that she could better see the German’s face.  “East of the Rhine do women fuck better when half-asleep?” she asked, nudging Saxa in the side playfully as she smiled.

Saxa, who was usually always quick to smile, remained pensive in the face of Belesa’s teasing, and Belesa sobered at the sight of the German’s brooding face, realizing that whatever it was that had prompted this line of conversation from Saxa was serious.

“Saxa?” Belesa questioned softly as she reached up to stroke the blonde’s cheek lightly.  “What creases brows with worry?”

Saxa leaned into Belesa’s hand, seeking out her touch, but she was quiet and refused to meet Belesa’s eyes with her own.

“Do you …?” Saxa began, finally looking over to meet Belesa’s eyes, though her gaze shifted away again when her words trailed off. “Do you not want come here?” Saxa asked softly, confusion clear in her voice.  “If I not seek you, you do not come.  You not say no when I find you, but … is it … do I make you do what you not want to?” Saxa finally managed to get out, sounding bewildered and upset as she gazed over at Belesa.   

Belesa greeted her at all times of the day and night with a smile, and she always responded beautifully to Saxa’s touch when they went to bed together, yet Belesa still refused to come to her.  She did not think that she was coercing the Thracian to do anything, and Belesa did not seem unhappy with her attentions, yet …

“Gods no,” Belesa breathed out, cupping Saxa’s face in her hand so that she could gently angle the blonde’s face back towards her.  “There is no place in all the world I would rather be than here in your arms.”

The worry on Saxa’s face eased slightly with Belesa’s words, but an expression of confusion remained etched upon her beautiful face.

“Then why,” Saxa began before pausing, her eyebrows scrunching together as she searched her brain for Latin words that would express her thoughts.  “Why make me always come for you?  Why not seek me?” she asked, a new worry coming over her heart once she had been assured that Belesa’s absence from her tent at night was not because Belesa did not desire her touch.

Saxa had chased Gannicus for months, always the one to seek him out, and though she had not understood it at the time, it had been a sign that as time went on she would continue to be more interested in him than he was in her.  Belesa was not Gannicus, Saxa knew that, but constantly having to prowl through the dark in search of Belesa – as she had been forced to search through encampments and cities streets for Gannicus – began to make her worry that she was no more than a pleasurable distraction to Belesa, as she had been to Gannicus in the past. 

Belesa’s eyes dropped, and her heart clenched in her chest at the hurt and uncertainty she could hear in Saxa’s voice.  She had thought to protect herself from witnessing something that she would rather not have seen by staying away from Saxa’s tent until invitation was given, but it had not occurred to her that by shielding herself from pain she had unintentionally been wounding Saxa. 

“I have longed for nothing more than to pass each night in your arms since first I slept in them, but I … I was not sure that your bed was always open to me,” Belesa said softly, lifting her eyes to Saxa again, holding them for a moment before she looked away again, unable to face Saxa as she voiced what she had to say next.  “You …” Belesa paused again, struggling for a moment with the feelings that rose in her at the thought of her next words.  “You spoke, at the villa, of Gannicus returning to your bed.  I knew not if … I … I did not know if you always wanted me here,” she finally settled on, dropping her eyes again.  “I did not know if I was honestly desired or simply a pleasurable pastime.  Easily gained,” she whispered, knowing that while she had not thrown herself at Saxa, she had very willingly fallen into the blonde’s arms, and bed, the moment they had been offered to her, “And easily put aside, in favor of hearts true desire.”

“Bärli,” Saxa breathed out, the affectionate name falling unconsciously from her lips as gazed at Belesa’s down-turned eyes and dejected expression. 

The name meant _little bear_ in her language, and she had christened Belesa with the title one night when they were in bed together and Belesa released a groan of pleasure that had sounded to Saxa’s ears like a small roar.  When Saxa had explained the meaning of the name to Belesa later, and why she had called her bärli, Belesa had laughed, and then given a playful roar before kissing Saxa, and the name had stuck.

“I would not put aside.  I would have you in arms all nights,” Saxa stated her voice firm and clear.   “I not want Gannicus in bed anymore.  Not him or any other.  Only you,” she breathed out, reaching out to stroke Belesa’s cheek. 

She had still been hurt by Gannicus’s actions when she had spoken those words to him around the edge of the Roman bath.  Less than a week had passed since the end of their relationship and though she did not wish it, at the time, her mind had still often turned to him and in her heart she had still missed him. 

But then more days passed, and as they did, her mind turned to Gannicus less and less, and the hurt in her heart further diminished. 

As she and Belesa grew closer in the days that followed their first night together, Saxa came to see that her relationship with Gannicus had never been easy.  They fucked well together.  They were very compatible that way.  But everything else had been a constant struggle with him – which had been thrilling at first, but was less so as months wore into years and his heart remained as fortified against her attempts to touch it as it had been in their first weeks together.  She had wanted things from him, things that he could not – or would not give to her – and she had endured his aloofness, thinking that increased emotional closeness would eventually come. 

However, as the emotionally intimacy between herself and Belesa grew along with their physical intimacy, and they became more familiar with each other’s lives, and personalities, and bodies, Saxa came to realize how blind she had been to the reality of the depth of the arrangement she had previously shared with Gannicus. 

In weeks, she had learned more about Belesa’s life than she had learned about Gannicus’s life in years.  As they walked in the afternoon, and sat around the fire at dinner, and lay together at night, sweat cooling on their naked skin, they spoke.  Saxa asked questions about the home where Belesa had served, about the politics of the household and the personalities beneath its roof.  Belesa asked her about Germania and her tribe and life as a free woman in those mysterious northern lands.  Belesa wanted to learn her language and happily offered to help Saxa with her Latin.  When Saxa desired closeness and snuggled into Belesa’s arms, Belesa would gather her in them tightly and hold her close, as if she would not part with Saxa for the world.

From the day they had met, Saxa had desired Belesa’s body, but as the days stretched into weeks, she came to yearn for Belesa emotionally as much as she wanted her physically.  When she trained in the morning and moved throughout the rebel hoard seeing to issues that needed seeing to, her mind drifted to Belesa and her heart longed for the hour to arrive when she could go to Belesa and hold her hand and hear her voice.  The sight of Belesa in the distance made her smile, and just the sound of Belesa’s name being spoken was enough to make Saxa’s heart skip a beat.  When she was with Belesa – whether they sat around a fire, Belesa lounging in her arms, or were tangled together in bed, naked bodies pressed against each other – Saxa felt a contentment and peace that she could not recall feeling before in her adult life. 

She liked to yell curses, and fight, and drink and fuck, and these things made her appear wild and fearsome to some.  Yet despite her daunting outward appearance, Saxa had much love in her heart and a strong desire to give it to another.  With Nemetes she had not wanted to offer her heart, only have fun.  With Gannicus she sought his heart, yet she stood with him as Nemetes had stood with her, as a pleasurable diversion.  With Belesa, she had finally found someone who she wished to give her love to, who not only wished to receive it, but who loved her back with equal passion.

“You …” Saxa started, but she paused as emotion choked her, and to her surprise she found herself blinking as tears began to sting her eyes.  “You are what heart truly desires,” she managed to choke out a few seconds later.  “I am wild cunt, drinking and fighting and cursing too much.  Not easy woman, I know.  But I am yours, if you would have.”

As the last of Saxa’s words tumbled from her lips, Belesa’s lips curved up in a happy smile and the tears that had been building in her eyes began to fall.  Belesa leaned in immediately, and pressed her mouth to Saxa’s, her hands lifting to cup Saxa’s face reverently as she kissed the blonde deeply.

“I would have,” Belesa whispered ardently, before kissing Saxa again, this time more urgently.  “Gods would I have,” she sighed, slipping her leg over Saxa’s and then shifting so that she was straddling her. 

Belesa cradled Saxa’s head in her hands and then drew her head back so that she could look down into Saxa’s sparkling blue eyes.

“You know I am yours too, do you not?” Belesa asked seriously.  “Now that I have found my way to them, nothing could wrest me from your arms.”

“I would rain death on anything that try,” Saxa hissed fiercely before leaning up to bring their lips together, her hands taking hold of Belesa’s hips possessively.  “You not make me search the night anymore?” Saxa asked when the kiss broke and she pulled back from Belesa’s lips. 

“Never again,” Belesa promised.  “When you are drinking and fighting too much,” she continued smiling, “I will warm furs, so that when you return to tent, you can fuck too much as well,” she declared, and Saxa laughed and then arched up, nipping at Belesa’s chin with her teeth, which drew a sweet burst of laughter from Belesa’s lips.

“Passion stirs,” Saxa breathed as Belesa reached out for her, and began to gently trace her fingers over the contours of Saxa’s face.  “I would have cunt again,” she purred, grinning up at her woman as she luxuriated in the warmth and the weight of Belesa on her lap.

“It is yours,” Belesa said softly, her lips curving up in a smile, “As is the rest of the woman.  Do as you please.”

“You will obey for once?  Like good girl?” Saxa asked, arching an eyebrow at Belesa.

Belesa shook her head slowly as she grinned down at Saxa.

“Good girl?” Belesa breathed out, her brows scrunching together in a look of confusion.  “You use term I do not understand,” she continued innocently, making Saxa laugh.

“I explain,” Saxa said helpfully.

“Please do,” Belesa replied, her eyes shining happily as she gazed down at her woman.

“Good girls,” Saxa began, leaning forward to kiss the swell of Belesa’s right breast.  “Do not drink,” she continued, kissing her way over Belesa’s breast until she reached her nipple, which she pressed a quick kiss to.  “Do not fucking curse,” Saxa went on, making Belesa smile and then sigh when she took a dark nipple into her mouth.  “Do not bare body to lusty eyes,” Saxa continued, looking up at Belesa licentiously as she took Belesa’s nipple between her teeth and bit down.  Belesa’s eyelashes fluttered and her lips parted in a silent moan as her hips rocked into Saxa.  “And good girls do not fuck,” Saxa pronounced as she bucked her hips up into Belesa, drawing sharp, pleased moan from the woman.

“Words paint picture of horrifying richness.  One shudders at the thought,” Belesa said, a shiver running through her body.  A moment later, however, her lips curved up in a smile and she released a sweet laugh.

Saxa grinned as she leaned forward and took Belesa’s nipple into her mouth again, her smile growing when Belesa brought her hand to the back of Saxa’s head and then used the embrace to press Saxa’s face more firmly against her breast. 

“I would never have it so,” Belesa breathed out, as Saxa sucked at her hotly, her tone an enchanting combination of sigh and purr.

“Then I have make you obey,” Saxa murmured around Belesa’s nipple, her lips pulling back a moment later so that she could flick her tongue sharply over the taut, glistening bud.

“How?” Belesa sighed, her head tilting back slightly as Saxa kissed her way over to her other breast.

“I bribe,” Saxa declared, nuzzling the soft skin beneath her lips.

“Bribe?  With what?” Belesa asked, her chest vibrating against Saxa’s lips as she laughed.

“Sexual favours,” Saxa pronounced.

Belesa drew Saxa’s face away from her chest so that she could see all of it.

“You claim plan of attack as the giving of sexual favours to acquire sexual favors?” she asked.

Saxa nodded.

“They undo each other.  You gain no advantage,” Belesa pointed out.

“I gain sexual favours.  That _is_ advantage,” Saxa replied grinning.  “I win and I win again.  I am winner,” she declared, looking quite pleased with herself.

“My winner,” Belesa stated, taking hold of Saxa’s beautiful, proud face.

“Mm,” Saxa hummed as she drew her hand between their bodies.  “Your winner who wants to claim prize,” she sighed, running her fingers through Belesa’s wetness.

Belesa moaned softly, and shifted, adjusting herself over Saxa to give the blonde a bit more room to move her hand.

“I fall helplessly, as Romans to your daggers.  Bribe is accepted,” Belesa breathed out, reaching down to take hold of Saxa’s hand.  “See work to completion and I will see you to just rewards,” she whispered, using her hold on Saxa’s hand to direct the blonde’s fingers inside of her.

“But not as good girl,” Saxa stated as Belesa’s hand fell away from hers, allowing the German to stroke the brunette under her own power.

“No,” Belesa purred breathily.  “As a bad girl,” she smiled, drawing in a sharp breath a second later when Saxa curved her fingers inside of her in the most delightful way.  “One who drinks, and curses, and bares body wherever and whenever her woman wants,” Belesa continued, shivering with pleasure as Saxa drew her thumb roughly over her clit.  “One who would _fuck_ ,” Belesa breathed out, bucking into Saxa’s hand, “until cunt has been wrung dry of _every_ drop of pleasure.”

“My favourite type girl,” Saxa sighed blissfully, smiling up at Belesa contently for a moment before a wicked look came into her eyes and she slipped her fingers out of Belesa so that she could flip her onto her back.   “I now do as please,” Saxa stated seriously, looking down into Belesa’s eyes.

“My body is prepared,” Belesa replied in an equally serious tone, holding Saxa’s eyes solemnly for a few seconds, before she dissolved into a smile.  “Take all that is offered.”

Saxa answered Belesa’s smile with a wicked grin of her own, and then, she lowered her head to capture Belesa’s lips in a heated kiss, as her fingers went back to work between her woman’s legs.

xxx

“Is seat taken?” Gannicus asked, glancing down at the empty patch of grass next to Saxa.

“Yes.  Dead brother tells stories of feasts in Valhalla.  Do no sit on him,” Saxa replied dryly, as she tilted her head up to meet Gannicus’s face.  “Ground is empty,” she added a moment later when Gannicus continued stared down at her uncertainly.  “Take seat.”

“Gratitude,” Gannicus intoned lowly, nodding his head at her before he lowered himself to the ground.  “Your woman,” he began a moment later, nodding to Belesa who was part of a small crowd gathered around Lugo and Adal as they grappled with each other.  “She has taken to the games as bird to air.”

Saxa followed Gannicus’s gaze over to Belesa, whom her eyes had been on before he came over to her.  As Saxa’s gaze fell upon her woman again, Belesa was gesturing spiritedly at Lugo, yelling, “Come on Lugo!  Get up, sie drecksack!” _you_ _dirty bastard_! and Saxa’s lips curved up into a smile.

Lugo struggled to his feet, unwilling to lose the match while being taunted by a woman.

“On Lugo she bet earrings of Sarmatian gold, taken from drecksau Roman Domina,” Saxa informed Gannicus, her lips still curved up fondly as she stared forward.  “For Lugo sake, I hope he not lose,” Saxa continued, shaking her head sympathetically as Belesa yelled, “ _Fick deine mutter, Adal!  Sie schwitzt beim Kacken!_ ”

“What insult does she hurl with such passion?” Gannicus asked curiously as Saxa began to laugh.

“Fuck your mother,” Saxa translated, grinning over at him.  “She sweats when she shits,” she continued, chuckling before she turned her gaze back on Belesa, looking at her adoringly.

“Ah,” Gannicus breathed out.  “She is poet like you.”

Saxa turned and glared at him for a moment, and then she shoved him forcefully, which drew a hearty laugh from Gannicus.

“Why you come over?  Only to make bad jokes?” Saxa inquired, narrowing her eyes at Gannicus when his laughter faded.

“It has been some time since we have broken words,” Gannicus replied grinning, unperturbed by Saxa’s hard look.  He had often been on the receiving end of it when they were together, and consequently it had become a thing as natural to him as sunrise.  “I thought you may have missed them.”

“I not miss,” Saxa said, her voice humorously somber as she shook her head for good measure.

Gannicus smiled and Saxa relented and smiled back before her expression turned thoughtful.

“Serious now, what bring you to my side?” she asked.

She and Gannicus had interacted on a fairly regular basis since they had parted ways romantically, but he had never sought her out in the past for private conversation as he was doing presently.  They sometimes found themselves exchanging inconsequential words as they trained with the others in the morning.  Other times they delivered messages to each other and shared a few pleasantries before parting.  Sometimes they discussed business such as, weapons counts, how the food stores stood, and conflicts amongst group members.  They had communicated with each other, but they had not really spoken to each other.

Gannicus shrugged lightly, and then focused his eyes on the matches that were going on in front of them.  Lugo had prevailed over Adal, and now had his arm slung over Belesa’s shoulder as both of them grinned at a two Germans who were handing over some kind of payment to them. 

“I wondered how you fare,” Gannicus said finally, turning back to Saxa.

It had not been his intent to hurt Saxa when he took Sibyl to bed on Melia ridge, but he knew that he had.  He had seen it on Saxa’s face that morning and in the days that followed.  She had been gracious about what had happened.  She had not raised voice at him in anger nor cursed him publically.  She did not pointedly remove herself from situations when he arrived, and she had been cordial to Sibyl when their paths crossed.  Still, he knew that his presence acted as salt in wound to her, so he had tried to stay at a distance when possible, in an attempt to give the hurt he had caused time to heal.

They had parted ways, but he had been partnered with Saxa longer than he had been with any other woman.  She had shared his bed for years, and though they had not stood the test of time, he still cared about her.  They had been friends as well as lovers, drinking and singing and joking together, and he missed that.  He missed the camaraderie between them. 

As the weeks passed and Saxa spent more time with Belesa, he had seen the pain that had lingered in her eyes after his indiscretion, fade away.   He had watched, from a distance, as the two of them grew closer, and in recent weeks he had noted that they had begun to spend every night under the same tent. 

She seemed happy to him.  In many ways she seemed happier than she had been when she was with him.  The loving gestures and sentiments that he had refused to receive from her, unwilling to accept more from her than he could return, were returned with enthusiasm from Belesa.  The two women often held hands as they walked together beneath the afternoon sun, an act that he had not indulged Saxa in – though she had attempted it from time to time.  When Saxa threw a possessive arm over her shoulder, Belesa leaned contently into Saxa’s body, happy to have claim put upon her, whereas he had always drawn away from such declarative actions.  Belesa gave Saxa things, things he knew she needed, that he had been unable to give her, and it seemed to him that in the past few weeks they had finally come to realize how well they suited each other.

So, when he saw Saxa sitting by herself at the treeline, removed from the crowd of people gathered around the nightly matches, Gannicus thought that perhaps enough time had passed for them to try and be friends again, and he had walked over to her.

“Good,” Saxa replied, drawing Gannicus out of his thoughts.  “Do not look so scared,” she teased, smiling as she reached out to pinch at his cheek playfully, though he managed to angle himself away before she could make contact. 

Gannicus gave her a wary look.  Saxa grinned at him.  He gave his head a shake and then smiled.

“All is good,” Saxa continued seriously a moment later, meeting his eyes.  “Things have worked out for best,” she breathed out, her voice turning tender as looked forward and her gaze fell on Belesa again as the Thracian showed Nadeae and Antheia whatever it was that she had won from the Germans who had bet on Adal.

She was not indifferent to what he had done.  He had hurt her deeply when he took to bed with Sibyl, but she could not claim regret about how the situation had resolved itself.  She wished that he had been a bigger man, a braver man, and had come to her and ended things between them before burying himself between Sibyl’s thighs, but they were both better-off with their new partners than they had been together.  Gannicus had handled the situation between them badly, but he had never claimed to be a perfect man.  Despite temporary heartache, she was happy now, they both were, and it made little sense to her for them to remain estranged because of an action that had ultimately had beneficial results for both of them.

Gannicus nodded, relieved to hear her words, and for a few minutes they sat together in silence, watching the match that had just begun.

“Why do you not fight?” Gannicus asked as Saxa’s eyes followed the match eagerly.

Saxa lowered her head and for a few seconds she didn’t say anything.  Then, when Gannicus began to believe that she wouldn’t answer, she muttered, “Woman say no to fighting.  Say I drink too much earlier and will get hurt.  I not agree, tell her I fight better drunk, but she not change mind.  I come over here to sulk.”

“I did not think anyone could make you do what you did not wish to,” Gannicus commented, barely managing to suppress the urge to laugh upon seeing Saxa’s glum expression. 

“Woman does,” Saxa muttered darkly, and Gannicus had to bite down on his lip to stop himself from smiling. 

“When you displease her, she keeps her legs tightly locked, as gates to sacred temple?” Gannicus guessed and Saxa sighed deeply, confirming his suspicions.  “I have suffered as you,” Gannicus continued a moment later, and Saxa turned her head to look at him.  “It will make us better people.”

“Am already fine person,” Saxa grumbled militantly.  “If I shine more bright, sight of me would burn eyes from head,” she continued, and at that Gannicus finally did laugh.

“As with the sun, one must not stare directly at you for too long?” Gannicus questioned with a smile.

Saxa nodded. 

“It would cause tears.  It is sad but reality, not all can be me,” she stated, and Gannicus grinned and shook his head.

“I had forgotten how large German egos are,” he commented.

“Strange.  I well remember adequate size of other things,” Saxa replied, grinning at him before her eyes dropped down to his crotch.

“Say more and we will have to take to field ourselves,” Gannicus intoned warningly, nodding his head towards the clearing where another match had just started.  “Though that would leave you absent shapely thighs to bury face between tonight, would it not?  Commanded as you have been not to brawl?”

Saxa glared at him and then sighed.

“That was good joke,” she acknowledged.  “Now I not need to worry about another for month or two,” she added smirking, and Gannicus tilted his head up towards the stars and shook his head.

He should have known better than to begin trading insults with a German.

xxx

Saxa came up behind Belesa, wrapping one of her arms around the Thracian’s waist while she used the other hand to sweep Belesa’s hair off of her shoulder so that she could press a kiss to the bared skin.

“You have returned,” Belesa breathed out as Saxa pressed another sweet kiss to her shoulder.

“Did you miss me?” Saxa asked, slipping her other hand around Belesa’s waist so that she was hugging her from behind.

“Always,” Belesa whispered, laughing a second later when Saxa nipped playfully at her exposed neck. 

The crowd gathered around the clearing whooped and hollered, and Saxa and Belesa both turned their attention back to the men who were fighting, but they had missed whatever had gotten the crowd excited and soon focused on each other again.

“What you win?” Saxa asked curiously, resting her chin on Belesa’s shoulder as her fingers brushed against the back of Belesa’s right hand, which held a brown pouch.

“It is a surprise,” Belesa replied with a smile, moving her hand away from Saxa, whose fingers had begun to wander towards the pouch she was holding.

“Surprise me now,” Saxa said, squeezing Belesa a bit between her arms as she tried to reach across the Thracian’s body to grasp the pouch.

“First you stomp off moping, and now you make demands.  You are in charming mood tonight,” Belesa grumbled, though her lips were slightly curved up.

“You forgive me later when we are in bed,” Saxa purred, kissing Belesa’s neck before she made another quick grab for the pouch.  “But til then,” Saxa drawled, trailing off expectantly.

“It is fortunate for you that you are exceptionally attractive and fuck like a god,” Belesa murmured holding out the pouch to Saxa.

Saxa grinned at her in that way Belesa found both obnoxiously arrogant and utterly adorable, and plucked the pouch happily from Belesa’s hand.  However, before she went about opening it, Saxa leaned in and brought their lips together, kissing Belesa deeply, her eyes closing as she savoured the taste of Belesa’s mouth.

A cheer went up in the crowd as Saxa’s hand migrated behind Belesa to squeeze her ass and Belesa pulled back from Saxa’s lips with a gasp. 

She had begun to lose herself in the kiss Saxa had initiated and sudden explosion of noise from the crowd startled her.

Lifting her hand to cover her rapidly beating heart, Belesa looked towards the combat area and saw one of the fighters, a German named Aldric, lying on the ground.

Her body relaxed when she realized the reason for the burst of noise. 

The crowd but reacted to Aldric being knocked off of his feet.

“Erhalten Sie einen verdammten Raum!” _Get a fucking room!_ Aldric yelled peevishly, glaring at Saxa and Belesa from the spot where he lay on the ground.

Saxa stared at him for a moment, wondering exactly what had produced that outburst, but when she saw the amused look on his opponents face, she started to laugh, realizing that Aldric had become distracted watching her and Belesa kiss and had gotten knocked on his ass because of it.

“Lutsch mein' Schwanz!” _Suck my dick!_ Saxa yelled back at him jeeringly.  “Win match.  Might then find woman to fuck you too!” she continued and all those gathered around started to laugh. 

“Easy to say, safe in crowd, hiding behind a woman’s skirts,” Aldric said to Saxa once he was back on his feet.  “Why you not fight tonight, Saxa?  Afraid if lose that sweet little cunt will leave your bed to spread on another?” he asked, grabbing at his crotch as he taunted her.

A hush fell over the crowd as Saxa’s smile evaporated and a look of murderous rage came into her eyes. 

“Go,” Belesa whispered when she felt Saxa’s body coil dangerously behind her, her word freeing Saxa from her earlier promise not to fight.  “Ihn zerstören,” _Destroy him,_ she hissed, taking as much, if not more, offense to Aldric’s words as Saxa.

Saxa grinned at her, and then brought her hands to Belesa’s face, kissing her soundly before she stalked forward onto the field where the fights had been taking place.

“Leave,” Saxa said, jerking her thumb to the side as she looked at Ingo, the man Aldric had been facing.  “We find you other man to pummel later.  I take this one.”

Ingo laughed and bowed his head, conceding his spot to Saxa. 

Aldric had been his opponent by lot, but cause was now on Saxa’s side.

He would not interfere.

“This is not friendly match,” Saxa warned Aldric as they squared off in the clearing.  “I make you pay for words.”

“You can try, little girl,” Aldric taunted.

Saxa smiled again and flexed her hands before balling them into fists.

“I not try.  I win,” Saxa declared, smiling dangerously.  “And now I crush,” she stated menacingly before she released a scream and charged at Aldric.

x

Belesa dabbed a cloth in a bowl of water and then brought it up to Saxa’s face, washing away the blood that marred its pale surface.  She had a cut over her left eye that wasn’t very deep, but had bled a lot, her right cheek was badly bruised and cut, and her nose had been bleeding, though it did not appear to be broken.

Saxa had been true to her words, and the fight with Aldric had not been friendly.  It had been a vicious brawl that ended up drawing a much larger crowd than the friendly nightly bouts usually received, and it had only stopped when Spartacus himself had stepped between Saxa and Aldric and put an end to things.

At the time the fight was stopped, Saxa’s face had been covered in blood, but she’d been on her feet and grinning, while Aldric lay on the ground, even bloodier and curled in on himself, protecting his vulnerable mid-section where – they later learned – Saxa had broken two of his ribs and fractured a third.

Spartacus had turned his disapproving gaze on Saxa when he saw the condition Aldric was in, but before he could take her to task for it, Lugo had stepped forward and said, “He insult her woman.  Saxa have no choice.” 

All of the Germans, and many of the others gathered around, had nodded in agreement with Lugo’s words, and Spartacus had sighed deeply, like an exasperated father, before ordering some of the men gathered around to bring Aldric to Kore and Laeta for treatment.

“How I look?” Saxa asked when Belesa lowered the bloody cloth back into the water.

Belesa looked up from the bowl and scanned Saxa’s face with her eyes.

She looked like she’d gotten hit in the face with Lugo’s hammer.

“Beautiful and fierce,” Belesa breathed out, “As the warrior goddess you are,” she continued before leaning forward to press her lips to Saxa’s, heedless of the blood that yet lingered on her lips.

“Agron say I look like I fall direct on face from top of horse,” Saxa murmured against Belesa’s lips as their kiss ended, and Belesa couldn’t help but laugh.  “You agree?” Saxa asked, making a face at Belesa before she reached out for her and started to tickle her, which made Belesa laugh harder.

“No,” Belesa sighed, when Saxa’s fingers stopped tormenting and she was able to catch her breath.  “You are radiant as ever,” she breathed out, a gentle smile settling across her lips.  “Cuts and bruises do not mar beauty,” she sighed leaning forward to tenderly brush her lips against Saxa’s.  “They are badges of love that but add to it,” she continued, stroking Saxa’s left cheek tenderly. 

“So I am mess,” Saxa sighed, able to read the subtext of Belesa’s words.

“Yes,” Belesa finally acknowledged, laughing softly as she stroked Saxa’s cheek again.  “But still beautiful to me,” she continued gently.  “Now stay still so I can finish restoring work of art,” she went on as she reached for the cloth in the bowl once again.

Saxa obeyed and dutifully sat still as Belesa worked, cleaning off the rest of the blood that remained painted on her skin.

“I have not forgot,” Saxa murmured minutes later, and Belesa looked at her curiously.

“It seems I have,” Belesa said.  “To what do you refer?”

“The pouch,” Saxa said, her eyes dropping down and then cutting to the left to eye the bundle where Belesa had dropped it before seeing to her face.  “I earn surprise, yes?”

“You have earned many things this night,” Belesa purred, biting down at her bottom lip wickedly.  “But we’ll start with the pouch,” she continued smiling.

Belesa removed the bowl of bloody water from her lap and then reached for the pouch, which she then deposited on Saxa’s lap.

Saxa tried not to appear giddy (and mostly failed) as she went to work undoing the pouch, and Belesa smiled at her tenderly, her heartbeat picking up slightly as she waited to see Saxa’s reaction.

“Do you like it?” Belesa asked anxiously as Saxa removed a knife from the pouch. 

The knife was an expensive one, consisting of a finely crafted blade that folded, and a beautifully carved handle depicting a dog hunting a rabbit.  No doubt some Dominus had paid a handsome price for it in days gone, but the beautiful yet deadly weapon was better served in Saxa’s beautiful but deadly hands.

“Very much,” Saxa breathed out, smiling happily as she slowly tracing the handle of the knife with her finger.   “Second most beautiful thing eyes have seen,” she continued, lifting her eyes from the blade back up to Belesa.

“Second?” Belesa questioned softly, her lips twitching slightly at the corners though she did not smile, not yet.

“After you,” Saxa said, speaking the words Belesa hoped she would speak.

And then Belesa did smile as she crawled towards Saxa and kissed her, as Saxa hoped she would.

“You could have lost earrings,” Saxa noted when they pulled apart.

Belesa had taken them from her own Domina before fleeing with a handful of other slaves from her household, and she cherished them as testimony of her defiance and hatred of the system that had shackled her since childhood.

“It was worth the risk,” Belesa replied, stroking Saxa’s bottom lip with her thumb before she placed another brief kiss on Saxa’s lips.  “To see that smile,” she breathed out lovingly.

“Could make me smile more,” Saxa breathed out as she reached up and took hold of the hand Belesa had at her cheek, bringing it down to her mouth so that she could press a kiss to Belesa’s palm.

“Really?” Belesa asked grinning.  “How so?”

“Spread thighs,” Saxa purred, “I show.”

“Are you sure you are up to it?” Belesa asked, even as she leaned back, supporting her body with her arms which were braced on the ground behind her.  “You have looked better,” she continued, laughing when Saxa curled her lips up and snapped at her.

A moment later Saxa released a low growl, and then she crawled towards Belesa.  The blonde’s movements were sinuous, graceful and predatory and Belesa breathed in audibly, aroused beyond reason.  Saxa grinned at her, wild and dangerous, and then braced her hands of the blanket on both sides of Belesa’s body.  After that, she leaned her, brushing her nose over Belesa’s clavicle, and then up her neck, moving steadily higher until they were eye-to-eye, nose-to-nose and mouth-to-mouth.  They gazed at each other for a few seconds, and then Belesa gave into desire and kissed Saxa. 

“Looks may fail,” Saxa whispered hotly against Belesa’s lips, “But body is always up to task,” she purred, helping to ease Belesa onto her back.  “I prove,” she finished, bringing the fingers of her right hand up to her mouth and slipping them inside to wet them.

Belesa breathed in deeply, her eyelashes fluttering, and then a large, wicked smile touched her lips.

“Gods I love you,” she breathed out, her thighs parting as she gazed up at Saxa, her eyes warm and awed.

“And I you,” Saxa whispered as she leaned in, pressing her lips to Belesa’s, as her hand found its way beneath Belesa’s dress and went to work showing Belesa just how much.

 

The End


End file.
